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Saturday, April 14, 2007

no common sense-y

comment left by Paula V:

This is the first year my third grader has had an attitude about a teacher. However, I keep hearing how third grade is a transition year. Perhaps this attitude is part of the territory.

My third grader was cautious up until this year. His classroom is full of boys and only a handful of girls. It seems the boys are ruling the roost, and it is driving the teacher nuts.

His teacher is young and sweet, but I fear she isn't very effective in illicting compliance among her boy students. Taking away recess points in a room full of boys isn't working.

My sister, a former middle school teacher, said that was not a good strategy. Single out the misbehaving kids and take away their points. I told her that would never happen...it might embarrass someone. She said that was absolutely ridiculous.

[snip]

No, my son's teacher does not single the misbehaving students out. Yes, she keeps the whole group inside.

When I questioned her on the taking away of recess points, she said children must understand how to work within a group. They need to know how to make wise decisions as a group.

Fuzzy thinking, fuzzy ethics, and a violation of the Geneva Convention to boot!

2 comments:

  1. "No, my son's teacher does not single the misbehaving students out. Yes, she keeps the whole group inside."

    Collective punishment is fascist. It reminds me of Communist practices and of what the Nazis called Sippenhaft -- the practice of punishing the whole family for the "transgressions" of a family member.

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  2. It's wrong in every way.

    We have it, too -- after the new principal assured Ed and me, at the beginning of the year, that he would not impose collective punishments.

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